RAGGED THOTS

Robert A. George's ruminations on politics, race, pop culture, sports, comic books & various other sundry temptations of the human condition. Yes, he writes for the New York Post, but the views here are solely his own.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Talking Trayvon Martin

Jason Riley is my Wall Street Journal editorial-page counterpart -- and occasional doppelganger among people confused by existence of two head-shaven black conservatives! On Jason's WSJ.com show Thursday, he and I discussed the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. We examine why this is an especially important issue for conservatives to engage on, police incompetence, Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law and potential liberal overreach on gun control. Enjoy:

In addition, Thursday's Daily News has an excellent column by John McWhorter who reminds people of a "stand your ground" in New York, where a black homeowner shot a white teenager threatening his son.

Over the weekend, I'll have a longer post on these and related issues (including a personal wrong-place-wrong-time anecdote that occurred more than twenty-years ago). In the meantime, here's some interesting reading for those unfamiliar with certain details of the case:

1) I have to tip my hat to Mother Jones for its comprehensive coverage of a case that should infuriate people of all backgrounds. Its ongoing timeline is here.

2) Bob Owens is a conservative who believes that Florida's Stand Your Ground law shouldn't shield shooter Paul Zimmerman, but worries that police screw-ups may make conviction very difficult.